World robot trade Is booming
GENEVA: World-wide orders for industrial robots surged by 20 percent last
year, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) reported on
Monday.
It said the drive toward increasing automation was led by firms in the
United States and Canada where orders soared by 60 pct in 199 over the total
for 1998.
In Europe, the ECE said in its annual report on the robot industry, orders
were up 12 pct -- but this followed a surge of 31 pct in 1998 over 1997.
``Never before have so many orders for industrial robots been placed by
industry, pointing toward an acceleration in the drive to automate,'' said
Jan Karlsson, an ECE specialist.
The Geneva-based Commission publishes its annual survey together with the
industry group, the International Federation of Robotics. In Asia, the
report said, orders were up by some six pct, but it gave no breakdown for
Latin America and Africa.
According to the ECE, the automobile industry led the drive to robotize last
year by boosting its own new orders world-wide by 24 pct. The food industry
was another major player.
``Generally, industries exposed to strong international competition are
investing in robots in order to remain competitive in increasingly global
markets,'' the ECE said.
The report said one factor behind the boom was the fall in robot prices,
which last year were 40 pct down on 1990 levels, although the latest
equipment was much more efficient and powerful.
While robot prices had dropped, labor costs had risen steadily. In the
United States alone, wages and related costs in manufacturing industries
were up by 30 pct over the past decade. ``With each passing year, robots are
becoming more profitable,'' the ECE said.
The report predicted that robotization would be given a further impetus with
the introduction in some European countries, especially France, of a 35-hour
working week, as well as by an increasing focus on good working environment.
There was a growing demand for robots to work in dangerous or hazardous
conditions involving dirt, grease, smoke, paint and chemicals.
The ECE said that since most robots were part, and often the centerpiece of
integrated manufacturing systems, the increase pointed to continued high
investment not only in robotics but also in related machinery, computers and
software.
``We have only seen the first phase of the robotization drive, which has
mainly focused on the automotive industry,'' Karlsson wrote in the report.
``The food industry and all other manufacturing industries as well as many
non-manufacturing sectors will significantly step up their investment in
robot systems.'(Reuters)
For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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